Ireland are performing as the world’s best team but England cannot afford to forget what they are about themselvesWhen I was at Harlequins we had a psychologist, Pieter Kruger, who now works at Munster. I always remember how he would tell us the times you’re most likely to concede points is the 10 minutes before half-time and the 10 minutes after. If anything defines this Ireland team, it is their ability to strike during those moments, in those championship minutes. Related: Six Nations 2019: team-by-team guide | Paul Rees One moment Ireland are beating a team up, the next they are out-thinking them Related: England braced for bruising epic as they seek to storm Ireland’s citadel | Robert Kitson Continue...
Last Six Nations hurrahs arrive for Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt – and what an impact they have had on their teamsBack in the day when rugby was amateur but toying with professionalism, Wales and Ireland could usually be found scrapping for the Five Nations wooden spoon, claiming it eight times between them in the 1990s. Had there been world rankings, neither would have been on the first page. They were two countries known for their emotion rather than attention to detail, moments of brilliance only occasionally compensating for structural disrepair.Then along came two New Zealanders to lay a new foundation. Related: Six Nations could be tougher to win this year than the Rugby World Cup | Robert Kitson Continue...
With injuries inevitable, coaches need to know who their next cab off the rank is in each key position and Ireland have the system best placed to succeedWhen the Six Nations starts we’ll all enjoy picking and poking over team selection and tactics, how the benches have been used and how the coaches have drawn on all their nous to get the results they need. But one thing you won’t hear much about may end up being one of the most important factors of all in deciding the championship – the depth chart.Every nation will have a spreadsheet with each position on it and then the first choice, second choice, third choice and so on. Often it’s also colour-coded red,...
Away wins are likely to be rare, drop goals less so and the women’s competition looks to be between England and FranceDiscounting matches against Italy, there were two away wins last year, both by Ireland. Twelve months before that just one, by England. On both occasions the side best equipped to win on their travels took the title so expect away victories to be at a premium again. Related: England set to start Manu Tuilagi in Dublin after Ben Te'o injury Continue reading...
Injuries muddy the selection waters for Ireland game as Eddie Jones looks to resolve questions over England’s best teamWhat had been looking like the toughest selection of Eddie Jones’s three-year England tenure has once again been hijacked by events. The unavailability of Ben Te’o for the opening Six Nations Test has not merely blown a sizeable hole in the coach’s midfield strategy but dispelled any notion that, at last, England have uncovered the secret of keeping their best players fit.With Brad Shields and Joe Cokanasiga also unavailable to feature, the first England team announcement of the calendar year on Thursday is no longer quite as hard to predict as it might have been. That said, Jones still has some major...